A New Old Way of Birthing

Sweet Potatoes/Yams are great as a first food for babies, as they are high in many vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin A, C, E, Potassium, Folic acid, among others), plus they are very tasty.
I like to bake them before making them a pure. I add a bit of breast milk and my baby loves it :)!

I know what you are thinking, YIKES! But don’t turn the page just yet. Your placenta has still some use after delivery! You can use it for postpartum healing, as it has been used for thousands of years in Chinese Medicine, and other cultures around the world.

The belief is that your baby’s placenta still retains many of its nutrients after birth. Hence, the placenta can be dried, ground, and encapsulated so that the mother can take advantage of its consumption.

These are my own placenta capsules :). I am taking 2 a day at this point. Your midwife or Placenta Encapsulation Specialist should provide you with the instructions for proper consumption and storage.

Some of its benefits are the replenishment of vitamins and minerals, balancing hormones, increased milk production, and curb postpartum depression. Moreover, the capsules can be frozen for years to be taken during menopause. Hence, by consuming the placenta in capsule form, the mother can aid her healing process and recover much faster!

As a new mom determined to exclusively breastfeed your baby, you know how important it is to maintain a good milk supply. Thankfully, it is possible to increment your milk production with herbal supplements. The most popular herbs are Fenugreek, Brewers Yeast, Blessed Thistle, and Red Raspberry. You may take these as capsules or even as teas.

Now there is one lactation-enhancing herbal tea in the market that I love. It’s called Milky! Milky was launched by sisters and actresses Tia and Tamera, and it claims not only to boost your breast milk but to enhance its quality. You are supposed to drink two 2.5oz bottles a day to see the results. I did find it helpful plus I loved the strawberry flavor.

So it is the fifth day after your C-section. You are back home with your new baby, feeling soared, tired, homesick, sleepless, overwhelmed, and so on… and on top of it you are supposed to continue keeping a log of your little one’s diaper changes, feedings, and naps. Oh Lord! where is that wonderful team of nurses that used to pamper you at the hospital and keep a log of all these things for you? Thankfully, I found this little device called the Itzbeen Pocket Nanny.

The Itzbeen Pocket Nanny is great for remembering when was the last time you fed your baby, changed her diaper, and when she took her last nap. There is a button for each of them so that a timer will start running when you press it. You can also set up alarms for each of them so that you attend to your baby on time. I found this device extremely helpful to remind myself of the feeding times, plus it has another button to remind you which one was the last breast you fed your baby (now I know I can get that answer right even at 3am feedings!).

Bummer! I was planning for a natural birth all along my pregnancy but on week 37 we have been scheduled for a cesarean as my little princess has decided to stay breech.

Not having a clue about what would I need after this major surgery, I managed to make up a list of all those things I read and was told would make my life less miserable those first couple of days after the c-section.

Here are the things I packed:

Birth Plan. No matter what type of birth you have, you should have a birth plan.

Sleep Shirt. The buttons will allow you to breastfeed easier at night.

Sleepers. For your turtle-walks around the hallway.

Robe. In case you get cold in our pajamas or you want to cover yourself for a walk.

Milky!, the new lactation enhancement herbal tea by Tia and Tamera. My doula said to drink it two days before the cesarean to start stimulating my milk supply.

Wisp toothbrush and Neutrogena face wipes. Tip: prepare a small cosmetic bag with those things that you may need after the surgery while you recover, to make yourself feel fresh and ready for those impatient visitors. Then have it next to your bed so they are handy.

Make up and hair dryer.

Toiletries. Packing your favorite toiletries will make you feel more at home.

Towel. Hospital towels? Yikes!

Earplugs and sleep mask.

Flip flops for the shower.

Camera and chargers.

Chamomile, Fennel, and Annis tea. To keep your tummy happy.

Healthy snacks for you and your hubby. I am taking fruits, granola bars, yogurt, cottage cheese with live cultures, and keifir.

Coconut water. I just cannot leave without it, plus it’s great for breastfeeding.

Some favors for your visitors. I got these chocolates wrapped in a pink paper with a cute baby girl on the ribbon.

Most babies are already in a head down position between weeks 32 through 38. Only a mere 3% to 4% of babies do not turn. Mine must be special because she fits in this tiny category. So what is a mom to do when her birth plan was to follow a natural delivery? Well, best to keep the hopes high as there are indeed a couple of things you can try to flip your stubborn little muffin.

Cold and hot presses. This is a very simple technique you can manage to do a couple of times a day at home when you feel your baby is active. Just go to your freezer and grab that bag of peas you never got to cook and place it on the top of your belly, where your baby’s head is supposed to be resting. At the same time, you can place a hot towel on the bottom of your belly. Stay in this position for a couple of minutes. The idea behind it is that the baby will try to move away from the cold and go to the warmest place.

Music and light. You can try playing music to your baby by placing your ear-buds on the bottom of your belly. Same thing you can try with a lantern. Your baby may want to get closer to either the music or the light. As in the previous technique, do this when your baby is active.

Yoga headstands and pelvic tilts. Yoga headstands are believed to help turn a breech baby within24 hours. For your safety, and that of your baby, do them with the assistance of a licensed yoga practitioner. Pelvic tilts are very safe and you can do them anytime around the house when your baby is active, and your stomach empty! Try to keep the position for as long as you can, up to 10-15 minutes. Another position is to walk on your knees around the house.

Hypnosis. You may download a hypnosis mp3 and listen to it whenever you have a time to relax. Listen to it at least once a day. The hypnosis session will help you connect to your baby and hopefully help him or her to turn.

Homeopathy. If you would like to try homeopathy to help your baby turn, then you can take around 200c of Pulsatilla. Pulsatilla will aid your uterus to grow more evenly so that your baby has more space to turn. Always consult a midwife or doula before taking any homeopathic medicine.

Moxibustion. OK, here we start getting a bit more complicated. Moxibustion is a very ancient technique employed in Chinese Medicine, which combines Acupuncture and the use of Moxa. Moxa is a cigar shaped stick containing the herb mugwort. The Acupuncturist will stick a needle in each one of your pinky toes and then will burn the Moxa stick close to those acupuncture points. The heat will then stimulate these points and help your baby turn. Success rate is believed to be between 69% and 85%.

ECV (External Cephalic Version). This is the last procedure you would like to attempt, as it is painful and can result in the rupture of the amniotic sac, sending you to labor. It is usually performed after 36 weeks, and it must be done by an experienced doctor, while under constant fetal monitoring. Success rate is very high, around 65%, although some babies manage to turn back into a breech position after the procedure.

So there are many things you can try before giving up on your breech baby. Also, it is important to note that some babies have been reported to turn head down on the day of delivery. So good luck on that muffin!

So where is “The Glow“? During the first trimester of both of my pregnancies my skin turned its back at me. I was breaking out in the most unusual places of my face. It looked more as if I had a bad rash than a case of acne. Frustrated, I started trying all of those organic and natural lines recommended for pregnancy, but my skin still got worse. The issue was that I was suffering from acne due to my hormones, so I needed something that would actually treat the problem while my hormones were out of tune. I had to find safe ingredients for my sensitive oily skin.

After doing my research, I was clear that I could use both glycolic acid and benzoyl peroxide to treat my acne. I tried different brands and combinations until finally I found that the following regime was great on my skin: